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Photo Credit: Harraz
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With the cost of electricity in the US at around 11 cents per kilowatt hour and the average household spending about $2,000 a year to power the various devices around the house, its easy to see why “going green” by using less energy is as important for the wallet as it is for the environment.
So what are some quick methods you can implement in your home to save energy without spending a bundle?
- Inventory your energy consumption by using the P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor. I got one of these and found it indispensable for figuring out just how much juice those items that aren’t on continuously use. You plug the Kill A Watt into the wall and plug the electrical device you wish to measure into the Kill A Watt. Then what I did was to create a spreadsheet with one column each for the device name, daily and yearly kWh use, and daily and yearly cost to operate (based on my local electricity rate). Of course armed with this data, you can focus on the biggest power hogs.
. - Get a motion sensor light switch or motion sensor light socket. I don’t think the light socket is as valuable as the switch, because remember, you’re after the biggest power hogs which a single light bulb most likely is not. The motion sensor light switch is great for a large room with multiple ceiling lights such as chandeliers in a large dining room or living room. Of course, you can always turn them off manually, but we humans are forgetful creatures.
. - Use a clothes line. This doesn’t work so well where I live depending what time of the year it is, but if you live in a part of the world that gets lots of rays, this makes a big difference. An easy to use $39 rotational clothesline can literally save you hundreds of dollars a year on electricity costs.
. - Don’t pay to run your computer when you’re not using it. Unless you are donating processing cycles to look for extraterrestrial life or folding protein, you should configure your computer to quit running when you aren’t using it. If you have a PC you can use the Windows power management options or for more control, Verdiem’s free Edison PC power management software (this is the free consumer version of the Surveyor software used by thousands of large organizations to control the power consumption of their networked computers). If you have a Mac, just use the software that’s built in.
. - Completely eliminate the power hog dinosaurs. Those 300 watt floor standing halogen lamps, the 30 year old refrigerator, a poorly insulated older electric hot water tank, and the original central AC unit that was installed back in 1975 all cost you enough in one year’s time to warrant replacing them with a more energy efficient alternative.
. - Slay the vampire. Also known as standby Power or phantom power, this is the amount of electricity you consume if you’ve got lots of small electrical devices such as a DVD/VCR set top box, a TV, a gaming console, or anything that uses a small transformer like the all too familiar “wall warts“. The quickest way to kill this electrical faucet drip is to just unplug the unit when not in use. There are also automated alternatives such as the SmartStrip which automatically switches each receptacle off when it senses the attached device is in “sleep” or “standby” mode.
. - Take a shower instead of a bath, and keep it short (5-10min). You should also use a decent low flow shower head. This saves you some coin by using less water and less electricity to heat the water.
. - Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. These have come down in price over the last few years (about $4/each now) making them a worthwhile investment for high-use areas of your home.
.. - Make a list for when you go on vacation of all the devices you need to turn off, turn down, and unplug. This will be one less thing to try to remember while you’re packing your suitcase.
. - Take a day off - This is probably more therapeutic than it is cost saving. In the Northern hemisphere where I live, this usually works best in the summer. Go ahead and turn off and/or unplug everything but the absolute necessities like the fridge/freezer and the hot water heater. Keep the lights off, the computer off, the TV off, the stereo off and do other things for the day. You really will survive one day without Google, Facebook, Youtube, email, your favorite TV show or video game and all the other addictive sedentary activities of the 21st century.
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Further Reading:
- The Home Energy Diet by Paul Scheckel. This guy writes much better than I do about the subject. This book will pay for itself many times over.
- Michael Blue Jay’s Electrictiy Page - There’s more info here than you’ll ever digest in one sitting. Very informational though.
- ENERGY STAR - a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
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Tags: electricity, energy, energy savings, power, power consumption, save power
Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty
Chances are good that if you are reading this, you are not experiencing poverty. Though we may argue what exactly constitutes poverty, I think it is easy to say that if I have the resources to acquire a web-enabled device (computer, iphone or whatever I use to access the online world), I am not even close to being impoverished. I was raised in a family that for 90% of my growing up years would have been rated by most developed nations as being below the “poverty line”. In spite of this, I never went without adequate food, water, or shelter, and found myself enjoying the fulfillment of most of the commonly agreed upon human needs.
So how does living simply reduce poverty? Think of it this way. The resources on our planet are enough to provide for the 6+ billion people inhabiting it though this may seem false at times. The problem is that the resources are not even close to being evenly distributed. You and I on our own will never “fix” this problem. We will never “end world poverty”. However, by living below our means, being satisfied with our needs (not our wants) being fulfilled, and by using the extra that God blesses us with, we can give back in so many effective ways.
By carefully avoiding affluenza and all it’s terrible side effects, avoiding debt, and living well below our means we will be empowered to “give back” to the global village and reduce poverty in at least some of the following ways:
- Encourage entrepreneurship and healthy economic growth in developing countries by partnering with organizations such as Kiva, that enable the building of strong local economies in developing countries.
- Donate to charitable organizations that don’t just hand out aid to folks in need, but have innovative ways of preserving the fragile local economy and the dignity of people with programs such as CAM’s Seed Project that distributes seed to farmers who would otherwise not have access to this precious food production resource. (Seriously, I find it amazing how this organization is able to keep their administration costs to less than 1% of revenue. They were founded by traditional Anabaptist groups such as the Mennonites and Amish who are know for their thrift, ingenuity and care for others.)
- Reduce Waste - Recycle, re-use, buy used, if it’s still fixable, fix it, and by all means, avoid consumerism.
- Encourage and build strong traditional nuclear families - These are the backbone of any great civilization (ie father, mother, children, caring for the family’s young and the aged). Compare the people groups that don’t have this as a foundational social unit with those that do. Observe how the poverty rate shoots up in social structures that don’t have this at their core.
- Consider adoption if you are blessed with #4. It takes a family and a community to raise a child. Every child should have the privilege of experiencing both.
- Support Educational Programs in developing countries that help people break out of the dark ages and into the information age.
- Reduce the disease burden by donating your time and knowledge, funds, and social influence in raising disease awareness, and working towards disease prevention and cure.
- Work Smart & Hard - There is a common saying, “Work Smarter, Not Harder”. What about if you work smart and hard while still maintaining a good work/life balance? Technology which has enabled us to be far more productive than at any previous time in history coupled with good “work ethic” has the capability of reducing poverty. Of course there are many other things that play into this such as free markets, democratization of information, creating good supply chains that build value, and much more that I don’t have time to delve into, but you get the point.
- Avoid War & Violence - War and violence have no long term value. They destroy every form of capital, the lives of people, irreplaceable historical information, and entire cultures, and cause poverty, famine, disease, death and so much more. I don’t care what your differences are. There are better ways to settle arguments than to reach for the closest weapon and blow your enemy and everything he knows and cares about to bits. Oh, and if you could pull back the curtain, you would see that there is no reward in any after life for this type of action.
- Discover & Share God with others and plan longer term than most people’s brief 70-100 year stint on planet earth. You may disagree with me, but God does exist, eternity exists, you were created for eternity, a piece of you (soul, spirit) will continue to live after “death”, and the only complete answers to the current physical and spiritual social ills we see around us are found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. He lived simply (even went without lodging at times, though I’ll admit it’s warmer in Israel than where most of us live) so that He could focus all His energies on helping the poor, teaching people how to live, and generally pouring out His life in service and sacrifice for others until a crowd of jealous people temporarily finished Him off. And yes, I guarantee, you will meet people who say they follow this Man, but don’t live it. Ignore them. Keep looking. You will find Him in spite of the shortcomings of us poor humans. Find the Truth and the Truth will set you free.
So what ways have you discovered that reduce poverty?
Tags: affluenza, blog action day, blog action day 08, education, poverty, reduce waste
As you can probably tell by my last post, I love photography. One of the reasons I love photography is because of the way it is capable of bringing issues from obscure places on the globe to the eyes of millions, so that something can be done about it. Poverty is one of those issues.
Blog Action Day is rolling around again this year. And the topic of discussion is Poverty. October 15th 2008 will see bloggers around the world writing about this one issue. If you have a blog, definitely go to http://blogactionday.org/ and sign up. If nothing else, be sure to watch the video below.
Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.
Back in 2004, I purchased a great camera, the Canon A80. Of course, it was over $500 at the time. Recently, it finally bit the dust (literally, there’s a ton of dust in the lens gears etc.) after over 30,000 exposures and riding around in my pocket in every conceivable type of environment. So, I decided it was time to go camera shopping.
I initially set my budget at $1,000 because I wanted a decent point-and-shoot camera that I could carry everywhere and a DSLR for more serious shooting. Then I thought, “$1,000 is a bit steep. Let’s drop that in half and see what is available for that price point.” Here’s what I found.
The best DSLR for budget minded folks who aren’t trying to capture every possible moment at the Olympics or print billboard-sized enlargements, is without doubt the Nikon D40
The point and shoot was a bit harder to make a decision on. What can you get for $105.00? I wanted something similar to the A80 though maybe a bit newer. Also a technical detail about point and shoot digital camera’s is that more megapixels is actually bad. Yes, you read that right. The more photosites you try to squeeze onto the same size chip, the less light is allowed to enter and the noisier the picture gets when you need to use higher ISO’s in low light conditions. So, I ended up opting for a used, 5 megapixel Canon A610 which is basically the A80 with a 2 year upgrade (it came out in 2006). The cost? $105 shipped!
So for $500, I was able to get the best of both worlds. A DSLR for portraits and serious photography and a very portable point and shoot that uses standard AA batteries which you can find virtually anywhere in the world inexpensively.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.
- Benjamin Franklin
Tags: productivity, time, value
Photo Credit: manzar
Surfing through the blogosphere, I find many excellent blogs with similar goals to my own. Here is a list of what I consider to be the top ten Simple Living Blogs:
- Zen Habits - A truly amazing blog run by Leo Babauta, from Guam. The guy has six children, and gets an amazing amount of things done including keeping this fantastic blog always interesting. Everything from GTD to eating healthy and eliminating debt, Leo keeps his 70,000+ readers intrigued.
- Lifehacker - OK, so this blog covers a lot more than simple living, however when you just need a good hack to make something work better or correct a design flaw in a product you are using, this is definitely the place to go. I particularly enjoy their tech focus on software to simplify your life.
- Web Worker Daily - Another great “life hacking” blog that I read on occasion. Their tips and tricks for staying organized in the information flow most of us face are refreshing.
- Unclutterer - Good spot to stop by when you simply need to unclutter your life.
- Wise Bread - Lots of useful personal finance articles for “Living Large on a Small Budget”.
- Frugal Village - Magazine style blog that deals with frugal lifestyle design.
- Simple Productivity Blog - A good blog on productivity
- Four Hour Workweek - OK, I definitely don’t agree with many of his philosophies of life, but Tim certainly has created a very unique lifestyle and this blog makes for some great reading if you’re in a rut and want to explore new ideas.
- Christian Simple Living - This is actually a website with many articles rather than a conventional blog. Excellent writing about ways to imitate the One who lived very simply while on earth, and in the process helped thousands of people in worse circumstances than Himself. In the end, He sacrificed everything he had to offer for the ultimate good of mankind.
- Stewardship Living - This blog speaks about being a good steward of all that has been entrusted to us.
Have you discovered some great blogs that cover these ideas and areas of life? Go ahead, share them in the comments!
Photo Credit: foxig
With the $700b dollar bailout being shot down in congress today, and the stock market taking a huge dive as a result, I got to thinking about the essentials of life. What does it really take to live comfortably with all our needs met, but perhaps not our wants?
Here is a list of “Needs” that most of us have developed for living in “first world” nations. The majority of the world’s population isn’t blessed with many of these, but I think many of us would consider these essentials for living. (Notice how much more than the real necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter most of us have.)
HOME (You definitely need a home / shelter of some sort)
• Large Appliances: cook stove, water heater, washer/dryer, freezer/refrigerator and maybe a dishwasher.
• Small Appliances: electric iron, sewing machine, vacuum cleaner, toaster,
• HVAC system for home (needs vary, depending on geographic-location)
• Media library: books, audio/video collection, papers, magazines, other printed media (size and type will vary)
• Personal computer and peripherals such as printer/scanner/copier/fax, camera,
• Various types of audio/video equipment
• Furniture: Kitchen table and chairs, kitchen cabinets & countertops, shelves to hold all those books, a bed for every member of the family, a sofa/couch,
• Plumbing: toilet, bathroom sink, bathtub and/or shower, kitchen sink, outdoor spigots
• Lighting & Electrical: every room must have at least one light source and a couple standard electrical outlets,
CLOTHING
• 5-10 complete changes of clothing for every member of the family
TRANSPORTATION
• A vehicle big enough to carry everyone in the household at once, and possibly a small commuter car for work/college, errands, shopping.
FOOD
• A minimum of one week’s supply of food in the house
• 3 meals a day
• All the necessary cooking and eating utensils, cookware, and service ware.
COMMUNICATION
• Telephone (mobile, landline or both)
• Internet (email, www, IP telephony, Instant Messaging)
PERSONAL CARE
• Comb or hair brush
• Toothbrush & Toothpaste
• Shaving device
• Hair cutting kit or regular trips to the barber/stylist
• Hairdryer
• Iron
HOME MAINTENANCE
• Lawnmower
• Line trimmer
• Tool box full of basic hand tools
• Landscape and gardening hand tools
EMPLOYMENT
• Benefits, 401k, enough $$$ to cover all associated life expenses.
Did I miss any? If we had another decade like the 1930’s which of these would you give up first?
Tags: 1930's, bailout, essentials
Photo Credit: Mint Software
Over the years, I’ve used many different software titles for budgeting purposes. From Microsoft Money to Intuit Quicken and even the business style Quickbooks, I’ve taken them all for a test drive. These days, though I’ve simplified my financial planning and records down to two easy to use resources.
First, I’ve connected all my bank, investment, and credit card accounts to Mint.com, seriously the best I’ve seen out there as far as web-based financial software goes.
And secondly, I’ve created a one page spreadsheet that contains my monthly and yearly budgets all rolled into one. I try to budget most expenses by the year rather than by month because you end up with a much more accurate view. A prime example here in the Northwestern United States would be budgeting the electric bill which is lower in the summer than in the winter due to longer daylight hours. I’ve decided to make this spreadsheet available to anyone who would like to give it a whirl. Feel free to customize it with your own income and expense categories.
One Page Budget Spreadsheet (.xls)
So, What have you found that works for simplifying your personal finances?
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Tags: budgeting, money, Personal Finance, stewardship
I ran across this piece today:
When we count our many blessings; it isn’t hard to see
That life’s most valued treasures are the treasures that are free.
For it isn’t what we own or buy that signifies our wealth.
It is the special gifts that have no price: our family, friends, and health.- Author Unknown
Photo Credit: Djeems
